Dallas shoots for ninth straight win vs. Hornets

This is the third of four meetings between the squads this season. Dallas won the two previous contests, as it picked up a win in front of its fans and at New Orleans Arena. The Hornets are scheduled to host the Mavericks on March 27th at the Ford Center.

Dallas wraps up a four-game homestand this evening. All-Star Dirk Nowitzki drilled the game-winning jumper with 1.3 seconds left in regulation and finished with 27 points to lift Dallas over the Phoenix Suns, 101-99, on Thursday at American Airlines Center.

Nowitzki, who took a pass from Jason Terry and hit the game-winning shot over Shawn Marion, finished just 8-of-20 from the floor but went 10-of-11 from the foul line. He also pulled down 10 rebounds in the thrilling victory.

Terry led the Mavericks with 35 points and dished out eight assists in the win over Phoenix, while forward Josh Howard scored 16 points and grabbed 12 boards.

Dallas is 13-3 at home this season. The Mavericks have won six in a row at American Airlines Center. They will visit Allen Iverson and the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at the Pepsi Center.

Meanwhile, the Hornets ended a three-game losing streak with Friday’s 99-89 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Devin Brown netted 19 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists off the bench to lead New Orleans/Oklahoma City at the Ford Center. Rasual Butler added 20 points and six boards for the injury-riddled Hornets, who played without Chris Paul (right ankle), Peja Stojakovic (lower back) and David West (right forearm/elbow).

Desmond Mason chipped in 17 points for New Orleans/Oklahoma City, which won for just the second time in its last nine games. The Hornets are 10 games off the lead in the Southwest Division and 5-11 on the road in 2006-07.

Dallas is 2-0 against New Orleans/Oklahoma City this season and has won 19 straight, 22 of the last 28 meetings and 30 of the 42 overall matchups.

The Hornets have lost 10 straight and 11 of their last 12 visits to Dallas.